Gary L. Stang
I had the pleasure to speak with a Brother from one of our lodges who shared an interesting idea they had for visiting their widows. Because of COVID-19 and not being able to have that face-to-face visit, they decided to call each widow and wish her “happy holidays”, and ask if she would be home on (date & time) so they could stop by. They said they would be knocking on her door and leaving a gift from our lodge. After dropping off the gift, they would walk back to the curb, wait for her to open the door and then say “happy holidays” from a distance. This is a very nice way to keep in touch.
Please try it and you will receive much more than you give. This year the Brother from the lodge who was in charge decided to listen to his wife and found a lap blanket that their widows could use for watching television, reading or just sitting around – some-thing to just curl up in. What a big hit! It shows our brotherly love that is so needed at this time. If you are dropping off a gift, look over things to see if there are any needs around the house. If so, schedule a time to help her get those needed repairs. If it’s in the spring or fall, check the gutters to make sure they look clean (no trees growing in the gutters). If so, that would be a great project for our younger Brothers to tackle. What a great way to teach our new Masons what we’re all about. Wow, helping a widow, isn’t that what we all promised in our obligation.
My Brothers, we need to spread that cement of brotherly love and continue to live our obligation. Please, my Brothers, if you haven’t been calling your Brothers and checking in on them, please get started. Like the Grand Master shared, we need to have our wellness teams calling! My Brothers, we need to spread that cement of brotherly love now more than ever. By asking our Brothers to participate in these projects, we will see an improvement in our lodges. This can make your lodge stronger than ever. Get everyone to buy in, get involved by sharing that brotherly love. I pray your holidays went well and you are ready to continue living our obligation in 2021. I wish each of you a very Happy New Year and together let’s make 2021 a much better year. And as always, Love ‘ya, Brothers! Gary Stang, DGM
